Say Nothing

Based on Patrick Radden Keefe's meticulously researched book "Say Nothing," transports viewers into the heart of the Northern Ireland conflict, known as "The Troubles," through a profoundly unique lens.

The film, like the book, goes beyond simply recounting facts. Narrated by the protagonists themselves, it strives to elucidate the motivations and consequences of their actions, adopting a powerful "female gaze" by prioritizing the experiences of the women who participated in and endured the violence.

This offers a unique and invaluable perspective on the Northern Ireland conflict, enhanced by the stunning performances of an exceptional all-female cast.

As Episode 1 of "Say Nothing" (2024 release from the UK; 9 episodes ranging from 41 to 50 min each) opens, it is "Belfast 1972" and we are reminded that this is "Based on a True Story". A woman is being taken away from her house, leaving her kids behind. We don't know why or who took her. We then go to "Dublin, Ireland, 29 Years Later" and we meet. Dolours Price. She is about to be interviewed as part of an oral history of the Troubles. At this point we are 10 minutes into Episode 1.

Couple of comments: there have been many movies and TV series and documentaries about the Troubles before, but I don't recall ever having seen anything like "Say Nothing", which brings the 3 decades that were the Troubles with a fresh look. The series follows several events and jumps back and forth in time, but somehow it brings the main themes of the Troubles with a clearer perspective than ever. While the differences and the fighting fighting between the Protestants/British Army versus the Catholics/Irish-minded gets of course plenty of attention, less obvious issues such as the Disappeared by the IRA are also included. There are plenty of solid acting performances, none more so than Lola Petticrew as Dolours. Beware: this mini-series is not for the faint of heart. At the end of it all, I felt like I had received an emotional gut punch. This mini-series is riveting from start to finish, even if some moments are uncomfortable. (As an aside, within minutes of watching Episode 1, I realized that I needed English subtitles, as I was missing about half of what I was hearing (Northern Ireland accents and all...)

"Say Nothing" started streaming on Hulu a week ago. I read a positive review of it in the New York Times, and then I found out that it is currently rated 91% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, and for good reason. I watched this in night nights of 3 episodes each and I was simply transfixed. If you are in the mood for a top notch drama or simply curious to learn more about the Troubles, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

This series begins with the IRA's shocking abduction of a mother, Jean McConville, in front of her children. Then it slows down a bit, and settles into the story of two sisters who facilitated a fair number of murders and bombings. The mystery of happened to Mrs. McConville--and why--looms over every episode, but there are many other compelling narratives.

It all looks and seems very authentic. Every episode has a disclaimer stating that Gerry Adams denies his involvement in IRA military actions, but the show defiantly suggests otherwise. Even if some of the details are wrong, the series does bring this ugly period to life in a way that feels real.

If I have one quibble, it is that the sisters are a little too appealing and charming, especially Dolores. No matter how much guilt they may express at any point, it has the effect of romanticizing their lives as terrorists/soldiers/whatever.

A person who plans and carries out a bombing designed to kill or maim hundreds of civilians has a screw loose, yet that scary, unhinged viciousness doesn't come through. Maybe it's impossible to depict it, but these two sisters, and their male IRA cohorts all seem a little too sane and likable. Whether it's seething hatred or callous obliviousness to the suffering of others, some additional exploration of the thinking of people who do this sort of thing would have been good.

The sisters' time in prison is also glossed over rather quickly. Some of the unpleasantness is shown, and they describe how bad it was, but it's all over rather fast.

Still, these are quibbles.

Much of this show is hard to watch. There is just so much sadness and futility and senseless death. And yet the reality was even worse, and this show does a good job of bringing the period back to life. It's definitely the best streaming series I've seen in a while.

Historical accuracy: 9

Acting: 9 Dialogue: 9 Camera work: 8 Editing: 8 Budget: 9 Story: 8 Theme: 9 Pure entertainment factor: 8 Video quality: 8 Special effects: 7 Pacing: 8 Suspension of disbelief: 9 Non-cringe factor: 6 Lack of flashbacks: 5

I read the book and watched the new documentary on The Troubles. I think this TV show is basically as good as you can make it today far surpassing all other media. I was afraid it would be a typical British low budget historical TV series with very few small sets and comedic acting. But this is on par with big American productions as it is one. Mainly what needs to work is the history and setting and it does. When you follow a terrorist group you can't really make them look fully inhumane and cruel as that would be boring to watch. On the other hand you can't sympathize with a group whose main purpose is to kill and harm people to achieve a goal so vague they can't even define it themselves 50 years later. It's hard to make a TV series about such a group as you need to explain what they are doing and why and then also show the bad sides without making viewers turn away in disgust. We need the flair and charisma to feel engaged, but in real life there was little to none of it.

The TV series starts out with a few seconds long intro about Northern Ireland and that's that really. We get no more background info. Unless you know about the voting rights you will not be able to understand what they mean when they mention it. Households voted not people. So the big Catholic households where the pope forbids them to use condoms would have more people per household. This made them feel marginalized. But the bigger households also meant they had less money for day to day stuff so they were poorer too and felt the system was unfair. We hear the English people mock the Catholics after the terrorist attacks like when the terrorist sisters went to prison. Their statements are based on hate at that point, but this is what the TV show uses to show us a tiny bit more without offending anyone who doesn't already understand this history. These offensive statements are actually used to convey history the TV show doesn't dare go into.

What is shown in the book and documentary is just how low-brow the IRA members were. You can't really show a sheer lack of elegance and glory in a movie. They have to be younger, more attractive, more heroic, and have more exciting lives and indeed the initial episodes are flashy heists and young people flirting. Later on the show becomes more grounded. The book goes over how they decorated their cells with their excrement in protest and how dirt poor some of these IRA followers were. The apartment complex was so rundown that when an apartment got available inhabitants came by to demolish everything inside so that no one could move in forcing the government to finally tear it down. In the TV show the poverty is seen a bit in edges. The various bars they visit don't show poverty but rather affluence as they get to relax and have fun in every second scene and never hold a real job. I guess the indoor sets were too clean, but that's just TV for you. I get why some viewers who experienced the deaths from IRA may not love this show. But at the end the last few episodes do show us how it was not all glory and I think this is a show for everyone. For me it's one of the best TV series ever. It's that high quality.

Quite the devastating story. Probably the most heart wrenching piece of "entertainment" I've ever seen was episode #6. The younger Price sisters are amazingly well portrayed by 2 actresses I had never heard of (Lola Petticrew and Hazel Doupe). Hope to see them get more mainstream roles going forward. Anthony Boyle also jumped off the screen in every scene he was in. The show couldn't have been cast any better.

I was only vaguely familiar with this story and haven't read the book, so I can't speak to the shows accuracy, but I can say the dialogue is well written and the directors did a fantastic job.

Would absolutely recommend watching this show. Although, I wouldn't suggest watching it in 1 day like I did as you'll lose some sleep.